Age differences in memory accuracy are smaller for verbal than nonverbal storage tasks, and domain overlap between storage and processing tasks moderates dual-task age differences¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · quant-synthesis r2 · q3 · i2 medium
Currency · newest study 2019 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i2 Single-task age differences are smaller for verbal storage tasks (g = 0.553) than nonverbal tasks (g = 0.859). → Jaroslawska 2019 q3 i2 Dual-task age differences are smallest with no domain overlap (g = 0.429), larger with two verbal tasks (g = 0.699), and largest with nonverbal overlap (g = 1.371). → Jaroslawska 2019 (2)

Evidence¶

Jaroslawska 2019¶

Jaroslawska, A. J., & Rhodes, S. (2019). Adult Age Differences in the Effects of Processing on Storage in Working Memory: A Meta-Analysis. Psychology & Aging. https://doi.org/10.1037/pag0000358

q3 · i2 · quant-synthesis · r2

Meta-regression of single-task age differences by storage task domain (verbal vs nonverbal stimuli). Hedges' g was 0.553 for verbal and 0.859 for nonverbal tasks; the test of difference was "-0.306 [-0.569, -0.043] (z = -2.28, p < 0.05)".

"This led to a significant reduction in heterogeneity,Q(1) = 5.198, p < 0.05 (residual:Q(93) = 450.191,p < 0.01), and showed that age differences were smaller for verbal storage tasks, 0.553 [0.322, 0.783], than nonverbal tasks, 0.859 [0.546, 1.172]"

Jaroslawska 2019 (2)¶

Jaroslawska, A. J., & Rhodes, S. (2019). Adult Age Differences in the Effects of Processing on Storage in Working Memory: A Meta-Analysis. Psychology & Aging. https://doi.org/10.1037/pag0000358

q3 · i2 · quant-synthesis · r2

Meta-regression of dual-task age differences by domain overlap; overlap "had a moderating effect, accounting for some of the variability in effect sizes, Q(2) = 18.014, p < 0.01". Hedges' g ranged from 0.429 (no overlap) to 1.371 (nonverbal overlap). Dual task costs themselves were not significantly moderated by domain (Q(2) = 4.843, p = 0.089).

"The estimated effect size for the age difference was smallest when there was no overlap between the two tasks, 0.429 [0.199, 0.659]. For studies with two verbal tasks the effect size was somewhat larger, 0.699 [0.468, 0.93], and the age difference was largest when the overlap was nonverbal, 1.371 [0.929, 1.813]."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Brinley analysis of accuracy reveals two distinct functions differing in intercept for storage-only versus storage-plus-processing tasks, corroborating a disproportionate processing cost
• Titration of storage task difficulty substantially reduces age differences in both single-task and dual-task memory accuracy
• A shared attentional resource for storage and processing is the best supported resource theory of WM capacity but faces empirical challenges
• In a combined meta-regression, titration but not domain overlap reduces age differences in dual-task performance, with no interaction between the two factors — reports the opposite